ECHL Reading Royals

Royals Advance to Playoffs After Win Over Trenton, 6-4

Published on April 1, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Reading Royals News Release


Reading, PA - The Reading Royals of the ECHL (36-28-4-480, 3rd Atlantic Division, 8th Eastern Conference), affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League, defeated the Trenton Titans (21-41-4-652, 4th Atlantic Division), 6-4, at Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania. The win, when coupled with an overtime loss by the Chicago Express to the Cincinnati Cyclones, landed the Royals the eighth and final playoff spot in the ECHL's Eastern Conference. The Royals will face the Eastern Conference Regular Season Titleist Elmira Jackals in the Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals best-of-five playoff series starting Tuesday, April 3, 2012 (7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center.

In tonight's game, the Royals scored first and built a 3-0 lead before the Titans battled back to make it a nail-biter. A third period goal by Denny Urban proved to be the game winner, while Ethan Cox tacked on some insurance with his hattrick goal late in the third.

Goaltender Karel St. Laurent (win, 5-9-1-0, 33/37) registered the win in his second consecutive start for the Royals. The Titans Dave Caruso (loss, 12-26-4-2, 32/38 in 59:17) sustained the loss. Back-up Anthony Felice (no decision, 0/0 in 0:43) came on to close out the game after the Royals' sixth goal.

For the forty-fourth time this season, the Royals scored first when Kyle Neuber sent Ian O'Connor charging into the offensive zone. Although O'Connor fanned on his attempt to get off a shot from low on the left side, he quickly re-gained possession of the puck and slid it to the top of the crease, where Cox had gained the inside track for a quick swipe and his first snipe as a Royal (and his fourteenth of the year) 8:36 into the first.

Reading built the lead to 3-0 with back-to-back goals early in the second. The first came 1:41 into the period while the Royals were playing short-handed. On this one, it was Marc Cantin's turn to spring O'Connor on a long break. O'Connor didn't fan on this chance, forcing it through Caruso for his third as a Royal and eighteenth of the year. Thirty-nine seconds after that Cox bagged his second of the night when he knocked the water bottle off the top of the net from a sharp angle deep on the left wing side.

Trenton broke through to make it 3-1 8:53 into the second when Ray DiLauro picked off an errant clear at the offensive blue line and took a quick shot that squeaked under St. Laurent for his ninth of the year.

The Royals answered back to regain the three goal lead (4-1) 1:04 later when it was Yannick Tifu's turn to beat Caruso with a snap shot from deep on the left side. Tifu's shot, which appeared to go across the body of Caruso and catch the right pipe and ricochet in, proved to be Tifu's twenty-third of the year.

However the Titans bagged back-to-back goals to late in the second to cut the Royals lead to one (4-3). The first came 13:52 into the period, when Drew Akins got loose in the mid-slot for a snap shot that beat St. Laurent low blocker for his fourth of the year. Mark Armstrong scored his first as a pro with 25.1 seconds left in the second on a quick shot from the low slot that also found a way through.

After several tense moments in the third, the Royals got what proved to be the game winner 15:50 into the period, when Olivier Labelle battled for a loose puck in the left corner and fed Mikael Bedard behind the Titans' net. Bedard quickly slid a perfect pass to the low right slot, where Denny Urban snuck up and buried his twelfth of the year-and his third game winner in the last five games.

Trenton didn't go away lightly, however. Adam Prezniuk made it a one-goal game again (5-4) when he punched back the rebound of a DiLauro blast from the high slot with 3:03 remaining.

But Cox removed all doubt when he finished a Casey Haines pass from behind the Titans net to a spot similar to the point from which Urban had just scored. Cox buried his chance, too, to get the hats to rain from on high-and help run the Royals season-ending unbeaten streak to six games (5-0-1-0) and give the team the win they needed to ultimately take the ECHL's final available playoff spot.

The Royals kick off the Eastern Conference Quarter Final best of five series against the Elmira Jackals on Tuesday, April 3, 2012 (7:05 pm) at the Sovereign Center. Tuesday's game night broadcast will start at 6:35 pm with the Red Robin Gourmet Burger Pre-Game Warm-up Show on ESPN Radio 1240 am in Reading. Streaming audio is available free of charge courtesy of America One through the Royals' website, www.royalshockey.com.




ECHL Stories from April 1, 2012


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